Practicalcmo Podcasts

Unique markets have different levels of Marketing maturity, use different ways of going to market, have different metrics of success, and view the role of Marketing in their organizations quite differently. Sometimes, it’s too easy to get too focused on what you have traditionally done in Marketing, and also achallenge to look outside your unique m…

Unique markets have different levels of Marketing maturity, use different ways of going to market, have different metrics of success, and view the role of Marketing in their businesses quite differently. Sometimes, it’s too easy to get too focused on what you have traditionally done in Marketing, and also a challenge to look outside your unique mar…

The value proposition of most businesses is based on what they do well. In many cases, focusing on what the company does--the products they make or the services they offer--is neither differentiating nor compelling. Even more problematic, many value propositions do not offer clear benefits to the problems and challenges their customers face. In thi…

This podcast is a very unusual, but realistic, view of what Marketing does well, and what it doesn’t do well.You’ve been promised big results with a quick turnaround. You’ve been told that social media is a silver bullet for increased sales (so far, you haven’t seen an impact). Your marketing team and vendors have overpromised and underdelivered, a…

This podcast offers a practical guide about how you can use the Intellectual Property (IP) you already have in your business to enhance your revenues and profits, create more competitive differentiation, make your business more attractive to business partners, and enhance your exit value. Intellectual Property is a largely unexplored business oppor…

Like many emerging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) is making its way into the market through a number of applications. Emerging technologies are often misunderstood and misapplied early in their adoption. Even when the technology itself is ready for commercial application, individual businesses need the maturity and readiness to effectiv…

Most business start-ups fail. The numbers are both compelling and ugly—only 10% of all business start-ups reach $1M in revenue and fewer than 1% get to $10 million. What if you could beat the odds by employing four tested business practices? In this program, we are going to take a positive track and outline a set of proactive actions every business…

The adoption of “digital” in your business may be an initiative you have considered but consistently tabled. With markets rebounding from COVID and with quickly forming preferences which will transform the way business is done online, you may be behind the curve. “Digital” offers increased abilities to manage your employees and your customer acquis…

With the pandemic impacts on many businesses, a shift to more digital marketing and digital engagement with customers is definitely a priority for many CEOs and Marketing execs. One bridge to be crossed is the shift, or addition, of ecommerce channels for products and service delivery. And the second bridge comes right after the decision to move on…

Now that the shift to a higher percentage of remote workers looks like it will continue after the current pandemic recedes, it’s time to ask what types of communications businesses should be used for effective customer acquisition and current customer development and retention. With an anticipated, 20-30% of the post-pandemic workforce projected to…

When you boil down the model for successful leadership, what do you have? Do those key aspects of leadership translate from military to public companies? And is it possible to share practical guidance to help developing leaders grow? In this podcast, I’ll be discussing these and related topics with Craig Whelden--a retired Major General in the U.S.…

What is it about pricing that appears daunting? Is it that it seems a strange mix of art and science which itself is intimidating? Is it a challenge because we lack the data from customers and competitors required to make high confidence decisions? Is it because we don’t have the courage to match our pricing with the value we provide? Or is it beca…

There are many ways to approach growth. Some businesses think incrementally about building off their core revenues and current customers. Others are a bit more ambitious and think one- or two-years out and focus on bringing existing products and services to new adjacent markets. Still fewer other businesses think more openly about growth as transfo…

There is plenty of free advice on how and what to do to manage your business through and out of the health crisis. Some of it is getting recycled pretty regularly and is starting to seem stale. I recently met Kyle Arneson when we participated in an “expert roundtable” and found Kyle’s guidance incredibly fresh and empowering. Building on his USMC b…

Two companies may take the same business processes or tools and adopt and implement them totally differently. Sometimes, there’s no “better or worse,” it’s more about making these tools and processes work best for you. Here’s an example. There are many ways small- and mid-sized businesses implement EOS/Traction management disciplines. Some use form…

Even the smallest companies can be challenged by poor internal communications. Fortune- sized enterprises? Sure. But small- and mid-sized business? Yes, it happens too often in these businesses. You might ask how and why that can happen when you have an employee base of less than 200 and everyone works in the same facility. I asked that question af…

This is a continuation of the conversation with Bob Lambert of Samurai Business Group, LLC. We pick up with Bob talking about the reasons poor alignment happens. He says there must be three things in place: Understanding the goal - a clear view of your future. Getting a strategy alignment supporting that goal Understanding and accepting the role ea…

The dual challenges to both understanding the differences between Sales and Marketing and then align them for the benefit of your business don’t seem to be easy to resolve. For years, one of the most downloaded articles offered by Chief Outsiders has been the piece titled “What’s the Difference Between Sales and Marketing?” ----more---- Understandi…

This program is the second of a two-part series where we explore the challenges and best practices in securing the investment capital required to continue growth. We’ve been exploring challenges and best practices from two stakeholder points of view: corporate CEOs and investors. In this podcast, we’re exploring the investor’s point of view. While …

This program is part of a two-part series where we explore challenges and best practices in securing investment capital required to continue growth. I thought it would be interesting to explore these challenges and best practices from the perspective of two stakeholders: corporate CEOs and investors. While capital availability is always a timely to…

Many consider EOS®/Traction to be a best practice management discipline. Many small- and mid-sized businesses have adopted Traction to beef up their management processes as it provides a structured approach to aligning and prioritizing key initiatives and projects. Traction only works when you have a mechanism for developing the required content. T…

Many consider EOS®/Traction to be a best practice management discipline. Many small- and mid-sized businesses have adopted Traction to beef up their management processes as it provides a structured approach to aligning and prioritizing key initiatives and projects. As a process, Traction doesn’t have a mechanism for developing actual content. For e…

Ideal Customer Profiles are definitely a “Marketing buzz” term today, and legitimately so, if you understand the power of the concept and apply it to your customer acquisition programs. an Ideal Customer Profile describes the characteristics of the best customer you would like to acquire and maintain over time. ----more---- If you were a direct mar…

What should you plan for if you are looking to add to or upgrade your Marketing or Sales management in 2020? What new challenges might you face as the talent pool changes? We'll address these key staffing questions: How are expectations evolving for both companies and candidates, and are millennials really that different? What will the labor market…

Sometimes the best way to get to know a host is to hear him as the guest. This special episode originally aired on SLMA Radio. Hosted by Tom Judge, the VP of Strategy at Direct Marketing Partners, Tom and Mark dive into ABM. If we're going to implement account-based marketing, can it actually yield a healthy sales pipeline? Do you need to get a bun…

What should you plan for if you are looking to add to or upgrade your Marketing or Sales management in 2020? What new challenges might you face as the talent pool changes? We'll address these key staffing questions: How are expectations evolving for both companies and candidates, and are millennialsreally that different Will the labor market look l…